Espada Lashes Out at Cuomo As Democrats Push for His Removal [Updated]

After a formal request from the state’s Democratic Committee to oust him from the party, Pedro Espada is getting personal about the man he believes is orchestrating theeffort.

“Every aspect of this is [Andrew] Cuomo,” the state senator said. “The fact that he has other stooges speaking for him, he’s pulling the strings on this… If this is the new Democratic party, it’s a party that really shows no respect for democracy or its people.”

Espada said this most recent attack — in which the committee posited that Espada’s “repeated public statements and bad conduct” have indicated he is not “’in sympathy’ with [the] party’s fundamental principles” — is “ill-timed, in bad taste, and un-American.” Cuomo has remained relatively mum on the move, deferring to the party’s statement whenquestioned.

Espada did, however, receive some support from fellow state senator Ruben Diaz, who said in a press release that this effort to oust Espada is another example of the “selective prosecution ofHispanics.”